


Practice Makes Perfect (Most of the Time)

by SleepySsnail



Series: Moonlighting with the Piper [2]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: ASL, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, American Sign Language, Banter, Can be read standalone, Cisco gets to throw stuff at Hartley, Fluff and Humor, Fun, Gen, Good Hartley Rathaway, Hints to Vibe's Powers, Mild Blood, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, References to The Mentalist, Sort Of, Tags Are Hard, Vigilantism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:16:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26700523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepySsnail/pseuds/SleepySsnail
Summary: “Where did you get a stapler?” Hartley asked as he observed the box of things Cisco brought to use as projectiles.“You know those offices on the third floor?” Cisco asked. “They were pretty much abandoned after the accelerator. Some people didn’t bother coming in to clear out their stuff.”Acting as Hartley’s training partner wasn’t at the top of Cisco’s to-do list, especially when the only area they had to work in was a warehouse with no heating. But there was no way Cisco was going to pass up the opportunity to throw heavy office supplies at Hartley to blast with sound waves.The only thing that could make this better could be coffee, a better understanding of ASL, and if Cisco knew what tv show Hartley was referencing.
Relationships: Cisco Ramon & Hartley Rathaway, Cisco Ramon/Hartley Rathaway
Series: Moonlighting with the Piper [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1932730
Comments: 3
Kudos: 34





	Practice Makes Perfect (Most of the Time)

**Author's Note:**

> This goes out to all the people I've ever wanted to throw a stapler at.

Out of all the places Cisco could’ve thought of to test Hartley’s gauntlets and train with him, the abandoned part of the warehouse district was probably last on the list. Scratch that. It wasn’t even on the list.

Cisco’s original plan involved them practicing at Ferris Air and using the open space to their advantage to test the full capabilities of the gauntlets and make a mess without worrying about it. But Barry had taken to using the airstrip as a track, going there to run on occasion with no warning to anyone. The last thing Cisco needed was for Barry to show up at the same place when he was playing with sound waves with Hartley. That was an encounter he wasn't ready to think about.

If Cisco had his way he’d still be in bed asleep, not listening to Hartley talk about sound waves in a freezing warehouse they were probably trespassing in. On the bright side, he finally got to live out his fantasies of throwing office supplies at Hartley’s head. 

“Where did you get a stapler?” Hartley asked as he observed the box of things Cisco brought to use as projectiles.

“You know those offices on the third floor?” Cisco asked, tossing a hole puncher from one hand to the other. “They were pretty much abandoned after the accelerator. Some people didn’t bother coming in to clear out their stuff.”

“Makes sense,” Hartley said as he adjusted his gauntlets, “But if your aim is anything like it was during those lunchtime paper football games, we may have a problem.”

Crossing his arms against his chest to combat the chill Cisco stated, “If it’s bad it’s only because I’m not trying to clock you in the head. I don’t want to be the one to give the Pied Piper a concussion.”

Breathing a laugh at the comment, Hartley nudged his glasses up his nose and smiled, “You have a point. You ready?”

“I’ve been dreaming of this from the day I met you. Hell yeah I’m ready.”

“Good,” Hartley smiled, “Put your deafeners in.” Cisco groaned at the order, but Hartley didn’t relent. “We’re using sound waves with varying intensity in a warehouse with god awful acoustics, and they’re going to be directed in your general direction. Protect yourself.”

“‘Protect yourself,’” Cisco mimicked under his breath while he reached in his jacket pocket for the case.

“I heard that.”

“I know,” Cisco muttered, all too aware of how Hartley could hear everything.

Hartley’s earpiece comms were brilliant. They were small and appeared similar to a hearing aid, picked up on conversations and things that were said around the wearer, and actually fit comfortably in the canal of Cisco’s ear. The casings were flesh colored, and Cisco was presently surprised when the one he was given actually matched his skin tone, making it less obvious than any other earpiece he had seen before.

The deafeners were of the same brilliance and build as the earpieces, which meant they fit the same. But when they were active Cisco couldn’t hear a thing, which was the whole point of them, but it also made Hartley jump on the opportunity to teach Cisco ASL in order to communicate. Hartley claimed it would be useful in other situations too, especially if one of them couldn’t speak or had to give a signal. Cisco had been on board with all of that, but it was disorienting not to hear while trying to understand all the signs Hartley threw his way.

But Hartley was firm about making sure Cisco used the devices to keep himself safe. He didn’t need to go out of his way to provide the deafeners, but Cisco suspected that having tinnitus from his effected hearing made Hartley sensitive to what could happen to others.

“Don’t bother trying to turn them off,” Hartley said with a small smirk, “I’ll hear if you do.”

Raising an eyebrow at the reference to Hartley’s hearing, Cisco turned on the small grey devices and turned them over in his hands. “Okay, real question time. When you’re in a building, can you hear people taking a shit in the bathroom?”

Hartley’s expression made it clear he was unimpressed by Cisco’s question. Sighing heavily, Hartley stated, “Your concept of an important question never ceases to amaze me. Stop stalling.”

“Alright, alright,” Cisco said, holding up an empty hand in surrender. “Chill out.”

Getting the deafeners in place Cisco took a moment before snapping his fingers next to his ears to test the devices, ensuring they were fully functioning. Nothing. Good. That’s exactly what Cisco was supposed to hear, and it meant he and Hartley could get with the program.

“I’m set,” Cisco said, unable to tell hear how loud he was speaking.

“Really?” Hartley asked, looking unconvinced.

Even without hearing it, Cisco knew what was said just by the way Hartley’s lips moved and his expression. Rolling his eyes, Cisco signed, _“Yes. Can we start now?”_

The corner of Hartley’s mouth twitched as Cisco signed. That always happened whenever Cisco signed. He didn’t know if Hartley thought it was funny how hard he was trying to learn, or if he was holding back a rude comment about something.

_“Don’t miss,”_ Hartley signed, taking a defensive stance a few meters away.

Throwing things at Hartley were just as fun as Cisco thought it would be, and it was easy to fall into a routine, making Cisco work to change things up. Be it throwing two items at once or a few in quick succession, Cisco was having fun with the exercise.

It was more than just getting to see things break in midair, Cisco really liked getting to experience Hartley using his gauntlets. Even without hearing the sound they made, the echoes of Hartley’s blasts against the inside of the warehouse were rattling and Cisco could feel the vibrations in the core of his body. In some ways it was like being at a concert and feeling the beat of the music travel through the floor, but Cisco could almost sense the blasts in the air surrounding him.

Then without warning, just as things were getting good, Hartley tugged off one of his gauntlets and waved at Cisco to stop, bringing everything to a halt.

Tucking his gauntlets under his arm, Hartley began to sign as he quickly approached Cisco. The air still buzzed with activity from the sonic blasts, and Cisco tried to push through the distraction to focus on what Hartley was signing.

_“Stop,”_ was one Cisco understood easily, but it was quickly followed by a few he wasn’t sure about and, _“Hurt?”_

“What?” Cisco asked, feeling the sounds leave his mouth at the same time something dripped down his lip.

Frowning at the sensation, Cisco brought his hand up to his lip and drew it away to see it was red with blood. Catching onto the gestures Hartley was making, Cisco wiped his hand on his shirt and removed the deafeners, blinking at the suddenness of Hartley’s voice.

“You started bleeding,” Hartley said, his hands hovering near Cisco like he wasn’t sure what to do. “You didn’t notice?”

Shaking his head, Cisco moved to grab the backpack he brought with him and said, “No. Couldn’t tell.”

Ripping open a small pack of tissues Cisco began to clean his face, bemoaning the mess that already dripped onto the front of his shirt. He had his fair share of nosebleeds growing up, but he always noticed them before. It was worrying to know he started bleeding and didn’t notice until Hartley pointed it out to him.

“I don’t know what could’ve caused this,” Hartley said softly, kneeling next to Cisco. “I never aimed directly at you.”

“I know,” Cisco said, coughing at the blood that managed to trickle down his throat. “Might just be the cold. That can happen right?”

“It’s a possibility,” Hartley speculated, frowning at the suggestion. Handing Cisco a new tissue when the current one filled up with red, Hartley asked, “Should we stop?”

“No, no, I’m fine,” Cisco said, standing up. “I can keep going.”

But whatever force out there against him decided it was the right time to make Cisco feel lightheaded. Swaying a bit, Cisco grabbed Hartley’s shoulder for stability and shuddered.

“I don’t think so,” Hartley stated, lowing Cisco back to the ground. “We’re done. I’ll clean up, you try not to make a murder scene.”

Laughing at that, Cisco nodded slightly and watched Hartley pick up the majority of the mess they made. Shivering against the cold of the warehouse floor, Cisco wondered if he could call off going into work for having a nosebleed, but figured nobody would let that slide. Caitlin would probably give him a full physical just because she could, even though she wasn’t Cisco’s doctor. It just wasn’t worth trying.

“Okay,” Hartley said as he returned, dropping the box of office supplies and broken bits on the floor. “What do you say to coffee and breakfast?”

“Hell yes,” Cisco said, making sure his nosebleed was finished. “There’s this diner I wanna try out, you in?”

“Oh absolutely,” Hartley said with a grin before adding, “You can judge a good diner by the quality of their eggs. Good eggs, good diner.”

Blinking at the statement, Cisco nodded slowly and asked, “Okay?”

That triggered something in Hartley, causing him to adopt a shocked and horrified expression. “You’re _kidding me_ ,” Hartley said, maintaining eye contact with Cisco, “I thought you of all people would get that reference.”

“That was a reference?” Cisco asked, wracking his brain for whatever movie or tv show that could’ve been from.

“Obviously,” Hartley sighed, helping Cisco up and securing his gauntlets. “It’s _The Mentalist_ , and you’re a disgrace for not knowing it so we’re going to have to watch it sometime to fix this.”

“Fine by me,” Cisco grinned as they exited the empty warehouse. “As long as we cash in on some of my shows too.”

“I don’t feel like I have much of a choice,” Hartley said with a smile, launching into what the show was about in an attempt to hook Cisco before he even saw it.

Listening intently as Hartley spoke excitedly about the show, Cisco matched his pace. It was rare for Hartley to go off on tangents that weren’t about science, hell it was rare for Hartley to go off on a tangent period. But whenever he did, it was exciting to see, and hearing him get worked up and happy about a tv show that Cisco hadn’t even heard of was thrilling.

“So,” Cisco said, waiting for a pause in Hartley’s tirade, “We’re getting eggs for breakfast?”

“Yes, that’s the whole point. Do try to keep up.”

Eggs it was.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted a training sequence with Hartley, so I made a training sequence with Hartley. I really see Hartley as the guy who watches The Mentalist and is offended when people don't know what it is (but that might be me projecting again). I hope you guys enjoyed this, and I'll try to update soon!


End file.
